In Maharashtra, the coronavirus has even reached the jail premises. In a shocking discovery, at least 103 inmates and staff have been found to be corona-positive in Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail. Of these, 77 are inmates while 26 corona-positives are prison authorities. Arthur Road Jail authorities have been on their toes ever since one of the inmates and two prison guards were tested positive for Covid-19. Hearing this news, Covid-19 tests for almost 200 inmates and jail staff were conducted. A team from JJ Hospital collected swabs of the inmates and jail staff on Monday. After which results found 77 inmates and 26 jail officials to be corona-positive. All corona-positive inmates will be shifted to GT Hospital and St George Hospital in guarded vehicles, while staff members will be shifted separately. The Arthur Road Jail has the capacity of 800 inmates, but it has 2,800 inmates currently lodged there.
After the Covid-19 outbreak, the state’s Home Ministry had decided to grant pardon to inmates with petty offences. During the drive, 582 inmates were released from the Arthur Road Jail. This prison has several crucial and high-profile inmates. Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh said, “Despite the precautions, inmates of the Arthur Road prison were found to have contracted coronavirus after coming in contact with a cook who had caught the infection. Now these prisoners will be quarantined with the help of the Mumbai civic body. In the jail that has 2,800 inmates currently, Covid-19 contracted 77 inmates and 26 officials.” The Arthur Road Jail is opposite the Kasturba Hospital, which is the state’s first Covid-19 hospital. Its proximity is suspected to be the reason for the spread of deadly virus in this prison.